Posts tagged with “zack cimini”

VIDEO: ATS MNF HANDICAPPING PREVIEW TITANS VS STEELERS

Monday, 17 November, 2014

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After another 6-3 weekend, Zack is still 75% YTD in the NFL and 61% YTD in college football. It’s been a great season but is far from being over. Head to under today’s picks to see if Zack has value on any games.

Here is insight from an ATS perspective with Hollis Barnhart, John Cranton, and Zack on tonight’s Steelers vs Titans matchup,

VIDEO: ATS LIONS/CARDINALS AND COLLEGE BASKETBALL FUTURES

Friday, 14 November, 2014

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Watch as Zack Cimini and Kellyinvegas discuss the Detroit Lions vs the Arizona Cardinals from a Las Vegas perspective and also talk college basketball futures.

NCAA COLLEGE BASKETBALL BEST TITLE ODDS

Thursday, 13 November, 2014

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College basketball’s 2014-2015 season is here. Time just keeps flying but I can say over the years I have not lost my passion for college basketball. It truly is a special sport to watch and of course make some cash on. This year should be as exciting as ever. As I usually do, I like to layout three potential NCAA college basketball winners to showcase.

Best Odds on Favorite: Duke 10-1
Duke did lose Rodney Hood and Jabari Parker to the NBA. Both were only at the program for one season before departing for the lure of NBA money. Do not think for once that Duke isn’t capable of replacing them. Coach K knew Parker would be gone and Hood truly was the type of player that had maximized his college potential. The depth in the backcourt with upper classmen in Rasheed Sulaimon and Quinn Cook is impressive. Last year with Hood and Parker shooting the ball at a high rate Cook and Sulaimon did not get enough looks at the basket. That’ll change this season. The back line with Amile Jefferson, Marshall Plumlee, and freshman Jahlil Okafor will be tough for the ACC and rest of the country to contain.

Best Mid-Tier Team: Louisville 35-1
I truly do not have any idea why Louisville is this undervalued. Sure they lost Luke Hancock and Russ Smith but last year the team was bogged down a bit by both. Russ took a lot of bad shots and Hancock never looked healthy like he did the season prior. The balance just was not there with the unexpected release of Chane Behanon and Kevin Ware’s decision to transfer. This season the offense will go through Montreze Harrell. Harrell has been a force since his freshman year and will be the best big man in the country in 2014-2015. Add Coach Rick Pitino’s thriving defense and sophomore Terry Rozier’s improvements from his freshman season and you have another Pitino coached team that can make a deep run in March. The step up to the ACC will help this team endure bumps early and progress in conference play through March Madness.

Best LongShot: VCU Rams 60-1
In the early summer VCU was 40-1 to win the NCAA title. The drop down to 60-1 is peculiar to me. Obviously that move has more to do with people buying major conference teams as viable title winners. The Atlantic 10 last season was the most underrated conference in college hoops to me. VCU returns several players from last year’s team and I expect their defense to crank up even higher. Don’t be surprised if they get a true at-large bid this year and make a similar run that they did as an 11th seed years ago. There only current problem is scoring efficiency on the offensive end, but if they can alleviate those woes by March look out.

POST WEEK TEN WAIVER WIRE

Wednesday, 12 November, 2014

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Fantasy playoffs are just weeks away. Just because you may have clinched a playoff berth does not mean you can rest on your laurels. Managing a team for possible upgrades should never stop being a constant battle for you. Here are some additions after week ten’s on-field NFL performances that could help bolster your roster.

Joe Flacco
Chances are Flacco may be available in your fantasy leagues. If so and you feel that you’ll need a possible option in the coming weeks, grab Flacco now. He is one of the more hot/cold quarterbacks in football. I see his cold streak ending here shortly and Flacco rising back up in the fantasy quarterback rankings.

Terrence West
Cleveland hadn’t shown any fantasy football value at the running back position almost the entire season. That changed Thursday night as West stole the show. Owners that had West before are likely punching themselves right now for not having the patience to stick with him. Cincinnati’s pour run defense attributed to West’s great night, but his amount of carries are what should be intriguing to suitors.

Bryce Brown
Brown may have had one of the worst turnovers Sunday as he fumbled as he was getting close to Kansas City’s goal line. It started the turn around of misfortune for the Bills collapse in that game. Brown though did showcase some of the skills he had in Philadelphia a year ago. It’s a crowded backfield with Brown, Dixon, and Fred Jackson but one that should see each be a part of the game plan.

Damien Williams
Lamar Miller’s nagging injuries are obviously taking a toll on his reps. Williams has seen a rise in production and could continue to do so. Miller owner’s that have been depending on his fantasy production may want to protect themselves during this final stretch of the season.

Carlos Hyde
Hyde has already teased us a few times this season with fantasy touchdowns. At some point the 49ers are going to realize they need to dictate the offense running the football with Frank Gore and Hyde. That creates the comfort Kaepernick needs to sling the football down the field and move the offense secondarily via the pass. If they make this adjustment week in and week out than Hyde is worth picking up again.

CJ Anderson
Anderson was one of those backs people had an eye on well over a month ago when Montee Ball went down. Ronnie Hillman had shown that he would be the main back over the last month and Anderson showed very little upside. Suddenly a third down screen and awful poor tackling by the Raiders led to Anderson’s fantasy outbreak. Usually a guy that produces a breakout game on a Peyton Manning team continues to shine. Anderson should as well.

Jordan Matthews
Matthews makes a back to back entrance into the waiver wire pickup column. Surprisingly, he was not picked up as much as I thought he would during last week’s round of waiver wire acquisitions. There is no doubt after Monday night’s performance he will no longer be sitting unclaimed.

VIDEO: NFL FUTURES SUPER BOWL MATCHUPS

Wednesday, 12 November, 2014

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Last week Zack Cimini, Hollis Barnhart, and John Cranton discussed valuable teams to reach the Super Bowl in the AFC and NFC conferences. This week they discuss Super Bowl matchups. It’s tough to pick a pair of teams and get it correct. That’s why the current top odds matchup is still a high pair at 10-1 with the Seattle Seahawks vs the Denver Broncos. See where all three have an opinion on a potential Super Bowl matchup.

Signs Lurk for an ASU Point Spread Let Down

Wednesday, 12 November, 2014

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Zack Cimini currently stands at 29-18 (62%) in college football this season and 30-9-2 (77%) in the NFL. Interested in winning ATS head to the today’s picks section

In Tempe, Arizona, Arizona State has had a shockwave season. When Taylor Kelly went down against Colorado many people had no idea who Mike Bercovici was. The junior quarterback was one of Todd Graham’s first recruits three seasons earlier. Bercovici went from fans wanting Kelly back immediately in a nationally televised blowout loss to UCLA, too the media stirring a quarterback controversy on a Hail Mary win over USC.

An Arizona State team that was seconds away from being 3-2 suddenly had a pulse. They’ve went on to win five straight games over USC, Stanford, Washington, Utah, and Notre Dame. At 8-1 everything looks good for Arizona State fans as their team sits cozy in the top ten. Yet I’m afraid the quick rise over the last month going 4-1 ATS will reverse course in Arizona State’s final three games.

Arizona State are one of the teams I make sure to watch every week. There are several factors that point to upcoming spread let downs and an eventual exit out of the top ten.

Taylor Kelly’s Struggles
Arizona State is winning but it’s had more to do with an emerging defense than from an offensive standpoint. The defense shut down Washington, Stanford, Utah, and all but one quarter against Notre Dame. Maybe Kelly is still having lingering issues with his foot as he hasn’t shown the same read-option speed from a year ago. Kelly’s read-option capabilities is what separates him from Mike Bercovici. From a passer standpoint Kelly can make the back shoulder throw with the best of them. It’s his pocket presence and accuracy down the field that has been a major problem. It almost cost Arizona State a chance for overtime against Utah. With Arizona State down 16-13 late in the fourth quarter, Kelly threw the football right into a Utah defenders hands that was dropped.

Second Half Coaching Adjustments
Over the last five to seven years Arizona State has been one of the best first half teams in college football. The problem for them has been halftime adjustments. For some reason or another Arizona State is awful at making necessary adjustments to increase their leads or get back into games. I believe it has to do with the simplicity of ASU’s play calling. Offensive coordinator, Mike Norvell relies heavily on Kelly’s read option and designed short route throws to Jaelen Strong and running back DJ Foster. For big plays they mix in a few down field calls for big target, Gary Chambers. The offense lags mightily when the read option isn’t humming. Defensively, Todd Graham’s philosophy has never changed. He calls blitz after blitz after blitz. Teams that can attack Graham’s chess match are going to score a ton of points like UCLA did this season and Texas Tech in January’s bowl game.

Scheduling
Arizona State probably had the best four weeks of matchups any Pac-12 team could ask for. Washington has shown they’re not the same caliber Pac-12 team they have been the last five years. Stanford is also in a transitional phase as a team. Utah hurt themselves by taking a lead against Arizona State and deciding to let their defense win the game. The play calling with a lead was far too conservative. And of course the Notre Dame matchup was a perfect for Todd Graham’s blitzes against Everett Golson. Golson has shown over the last month that he struggles at making quick decisions under pressure, and Notre Dame’s defense wasn’t exactly up to par against far lesser talent than Arizona State.

Quarterback Matchups
Kevin Hogan, Everett Golson, Travis Wilson, and Troy Williams have been the quarterbacks Arizona State has faced over the last month. It was Williams first start as Cyler Miles was out due to an injury. Travis Wilson has had to endure starting and being benched multiple times by Utah’s coaching staff. Kevin Hogan has shown he is not a Pac-12 viable quarterback, and Golson has been a turnover machine in seven straight games. Sean Mannion may be the quarterback finally able to challenge ASU’s blitzing style and force Graham to relent on his blitzes.

Campus Influence
Arizona State and South Florida are two college campuses that campus life can cause a disadvantage over the course of a season. Arizona State President, Michael Crow, has made it known he wants to lead the country in college enrollment numbers. That has led to an ever-growing campus of over 75,000 people. It has to be tough as an athlete being on a campus that crowded. I’m sure Todd Graham and his staff do their best to not make it a distraction, but with a team now ranked high campus vultures are surely floating around even more.